Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return £7 million worth of wedding gifts

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly returning £7 million worth of wedding gifts, in accordance with royal guidelines.

The newlyweds aren't allowed to accept gifts given for commercial purposes, for example clothing that the Duchess might wear and that a brand might profit from. It comes down to the motives of the gift-giver, and whether or not an individual person or organisation is hoping to gain commercially from bestowing the respective product.

"When gifts are accepted, the consent of the member of the Royal Family should be contingent upon the enterprise undertaking not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes," said a statement from Kensington Palace, published by the Independent.

"Gifts offered by private individuals living in the UK not personally known to the Member of the Royal Family should be refused where there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself."

Considering the full impact of the Meghan effect, whereby any item she wears sells out in minutes, you can understand the concern that the palace may have surrounding gifts and why they'd want to discourage brands from sending freebies.

Prior to the wedding on 19 May, Harry and Meghan asked any well-wishers to donate to charity, rather than to give them gifts. They chose seven organisations which they both felt strongly about, spanning sport for social change, women's empowerment, conservation, the environment, homelessness, HIV and the Armed Forces.

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